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You are here: Home / Missoulian Sunday Tech Columns / Easy Steps to Avoid Tech Support Blues

Easy Steps to Avoid Tech Support Blues

December 20, 2009 by Mark Ratledge

My 12/20/09 Missoulian column

“On the first day of Christmas, my client sent to me, one very dead PC. On the second day of Christmas, my client sent to me, a Web site that said ‘not found,’ and one very dead PC …. “

It’s that time of year again. I don’t mean the office parties or the growing stack of stuff under the tree, but the time of the year for finding tech support on, and after, the big day.

Luckily for many of us, manufacturers have realized — along with their push to be on the cutting edges of technology — that customer relations is very important. We still may end up talking on the phone with someone on the opposite side of the Earth for help, but most gadgets work fairly well out of the box.

However, when things do go wrong, I have my own version tech support: Read those “Quick Start” instructions again. It’s easy to misread important information.

Another hint is to restart-and-reboot, which I can forget to do sometimes. And always be sure the batteries are in the correct way. I still make this mistake once in awhile with a camera that uses AA batteries.

If the problem is more serious than that, all PC manufacturers have extensive help sections on their Web sites. If there’s a common problem with a gadget, lots of times it’s right out front at the Web URL in the Quick Start guide.

When I’ve had to resort to a phone call, I’ve used Get a Human (which is useful all year long) where you can find the semi-secret codes to punch in to be able to connect to a real person right away instead of waiting and waiting on the phone.

One last item: Before you resort to that tech support phone call, find your local teen or tween for help. They can probably fix the problem right away while giving a pained scowl at your perceived incompetence.

So in one way or another, maybe we can limit that holiday standard, “On the twelfth day of Christmas, my client sent to me … ” to just a chorus or two.

This week in Mac Q & A: Mac Q & A: Pasting Plain text


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